Picture hanger

ABSTRACT

A device for aiding the mounting of an object on a wall, which device includes: a body shaped and configured to be held in abutment with a wall on which the object is to be mounted; an elongate member which is configured to extend outwardly from the body; a locating means which defines an opening for receiving the elongate member complementally therethrough and to allow displacement of the locating means along a substantially portion of the length of the elongate member; a mounting formation which is configured to extend outwardly the locating means, the mounting formation being configured to permit an object to be mounted on the wall to be mounted thereon; and a retaining means for retaining the locating means in a desired position on the elongate member, the retaining means comprising complementary male-and-female mating formations which are arranged on the elongate member and opening of the locating means.

This application is a continuation application of U.S. National-Stageapplication Ser. No. 13/394,056, filed Mar. 2, 2012, which claims thebenefit of International Application Serial No. PCT/ZA2010/000052, filedSep. 3, 2010, and South African Application Serial No. 2009/6106, filedSep. 3, 2009, which are incorporated herein by reference.

This invention relates to a device for aiding the mounting of an object,typically a picture or the like, on a wall.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a devicefor aiding the mounting of an object on a wall, which device includes:

a body shaped and configured to be held in abutment with a wall on whichthe object is to be mounted;

an elongate member which is configured to extend outwardly from thebody;

a locating means which defines an opening for receiving the elongatemember complementally therethrough and to allow displacement of thelocating means along a substantially portion of the length of theelongate member;

a mounting formation which is configured to extend outwardly thelocating means, the mounting formation being configured to permit anobject to be mounted on the wall to be mounted thereon; and

a retaining means for retaining the locating means in a desired positionon the elongate member, the retaining means comprising complementarymale-and-female mating formations which are arranged on the elongatemember and opening of the locating means.

An aperture may be defined in the body for receiving any suitableattachment means therethrough for attaching the device to the wall. Theattachment means may include any suitable nail or wall plug.

The elongate member may be formed integrally the body. The body may beof generally circular shape and may be thicker than the elongate memberso that in an operative mounted condition of the device, the elongatemember is spaced from the wall.

The locating means may be in the form of a sleeve which defines agenerally parallelipipedal opening or passageway.

The mounting formation may be generally hook-shaped for holding a tiemember of an object to be mounted captive therein in an operativehanging condition of the object to be mounted.

The complementary male-and-female mating formations may be in the formof a rack-and-ratchet or gear-and-ratchet assembly. A gear or rack ofthe rack-and-ratchet or gear-and-ratchet assembly may be arranged toextend longitudinally the elongated member. The gear or rack may beformed by plurality of generally wedge or saw tooth shaped recesseswhich are defined in the elongate member substantially along its length.A ratchet of the rack-and-ratchet or gear-and-ratchet assembly may bearranged to extend or depend inwardly from an inner wall defining theopening or passageway. The ratchet may be generally wedge shaped and maybe biased to extend inwardly the wall of the opening towards the gear orrack. The ratchet and/or gear may be formed from any suitableresiliently deformable material to facilitate complementaryinterengagement therebetween.

The recesses may be orientated to facilitate displacement of the ratchetfrom a free end of the elongated member towards the body, and to inhibitdisplacement in the opposite direction.

It is however to be appreciated that the retaining means may include anysuitable interference fit assembly for retaining the locating means inposition relative to the elongate member in a desired position relativethereto.

Any one or more of the parts and/or components of the device may beformed from any suitable synthetic plastics material. Any one or more ofthe parts and/or components of the device may be formed from anysuitable nylon or polyamide material. Preferably, one or more of theparts and/or components of the device may be formed from any suitablefibreglass polyamide composite material, typically wherein thefibreglass content is 15% thereof.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a devicefor aiding the mounting of an object on a wall, which device includes:

a body shaped and configured to be held in abutment with a wall on whichthe object is to be mounted;

an elongate member having a mounting formation arranged at one endthereof on which the object is to be mounted in use;

a receiving means arranged on the body, the receiving means defining anopening or passageway for receiving the elongate member complementallytherethrough and to allow displacement of the of the elongate membersubstantially along its length relative to the body; and

a retaining means for retaining the elongate member and with it themounting formation in a desired position relative to the body, theretaining means comprising complementary male-and-female matingformations which are arranged on the elongate member and opening of thereceiving means.

An aperture may be defined in the body for receiving any suitableattachment means there through for attaching the device to the wall. Theattachment means may include any suitable wall nail or wall plug.

The receiving means may be formed integrally the body. The receivingmeans may be in the form of a sleeve which may define a generallyparallelipipedal opening or passageway.

The mounting formation may be generally hook shaped for holding a tiemember of an object to be mounted captive therein in an operativehanging condition of the object to be mounted.

The complementary male-and-female mating formations may be in the formof a rack-and-ratchet or gear-and-ratchet assembly. A gear or a rack ofthe rack-and-ratchet or gear-and-ratchet assembly may be arranged toextend longitudinally the elongate member. A ratchet of therack-and-ratchet or gear-and-ratchet assembly may be arranged to extendor depend inwardly from an inner wall defining the opening or passagewaytowards the rack or gear.

The ratchet may be generally wedge shaped and may be biased to extendinwardly a wall of the opening towards the rack or gear. The ratchetand/or gear may be formed from any suitable resiliently deformablematerial to facilitate complementary interengagement therebetween. Thegear or rack may be formed by plurality of generally wedge or saw toothshaped recesses which may be defined in the elongate membersubstantially along its length. The recesses and/or ratchet may beorientated to facilitate displacement of the ratchet from a free end ofthe elongate member towards the body, and to inhibit displacement in theopposite direction.

The retaining means may include any suitable interference fit assemblyfor retaining the elongate member in position relative to the receivingmeans in a desired position relative thereto.

Any one or more of the parts and/or components of the above device maybe formed from any suitable synthetic plastics material. Any one or moreof the parts and/or components of the device may be formed from anysuitable nylon or polyamide material. Preferably, one or more of theparts and/or components of the device may be formed from any suitablefibreglass polyamide composite material, typically wherein thefibreglass content is 15% thereof.

The device may include an accessory for aiding in the mounting of thebody on a wall, the accessory having a base which has a recess definedtherein for receiving the body complementally therein and locatingformations extending from the base which are configured to be receivedcomplimentally an end portion of a Hilti® mounting apparatus. Theaccessory may be formed from any suitable resiliently deformablematerial.

A device for aiding the mounting of an object on a wall in accordancewith the invention will now be described by way of examples withreference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGS. 1 to 3 show front and sectioned side views of a first embodimentof a device for aiding the mounting of an object on a wall in accordancewith the invention;

FIGS. 4 to 6 show sectioned side views of a second embodiment of thedevice;

FIGS. 7 to 9 show sectioned side views of a third embodiment of thedevice;

FIG. 10 shows a three dimensional view of a part of the third embodimentfor aiding the mounting thereof on a wall; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a three dimensional and sectional view respectivelyof a fourth embodiment of the device in accordance with the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 10 generally depicts afirst embodiment of a device for aiding the mounting of an object suchas a picture (not shown) on a wall 12 in accordance with the invention.

The device 10 includes a generally tear-shaped body 14 having areceiving means in the form of a sleeve 16 which is formed integrally atapered portion of the body 14. The sleeve 16 defines a generallyparallelepipedal passage 18 which is configured and/or shaped to receivea free end of an elongate member in the form of a cable tie 20therethrough to allow relative displacement between the body 14 andelongate member 20 to permit the position of the picture relative to thewall to be adjusted substantially vertically according to a user'srequirements. The elongate member 20 has a generally hook shapedmounting formation 22 arranged at an opposing end thereof for receivingfor example the picture wire (not shown) of the picture to be mounted onthe wall 12.

A retaining means in the form of a gear-and-ratchet or rack-and-ratchetassembly is provided to retain the elongate member 20 in the sleeve 16in the desired position. More particularly, the rack-and-ratchetassembly is provided by a rack 24 which extends between the free end andthe hook 22 of the elongate member 20 and a ratchet 26 which extendsinwards at an angle from an inner side of the sleeve 16. In operation,the free end of the elongate member 20 is pulled through the sleeve 16until a desired position is reached. The angle of the ratchet 26 servingto allow the rack 24 to be pulled in the direction of arrow 28 towardsthe sleeve 16 whilst resisting displacement in the opposite direction asa result of the angle of engagement of the end of the ratchet 26 with amember of the rack 24.

The body 14, sleeve 16 and elongate member 20 of the device 10 areformed from any suitable resiliently deformable material, typically anysuitable synthetic plastics material.

The device 10 further includes an attachment means in the form of a wallnail 30 for attaching the body 14 via an aperture 32 to the wall 12. Ascan be best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the aperture 32 has a shoulder 34which is shaped to receive a complimentary cap 36 which fitsinterference fashion over the free end of the nail 30 and which servesto maintain the nail 30 substantially in register with the aperture 32.

In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the body 14 is attachedto the wall 12 via a wall plug 38 and screw 40 arrangement.

In the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the body 14 is attachedto the wall 12 using a Hilti® nail fastener 42 for nailing the nail 30into the wall 12. In this embodiment, an accessory 44 (shown in FIG. 10)is provided for aiding the driving of the nail 30 into the wall 12 usingthe Hilti® nail fastener 42 wherein the accessory 44 has a base 46 whichhas a recess 48 and hole 50 defined therein for receiving the body 14complementally therein and locating formations 52 extending from thebase 46 which are configured to be received complimentally an endportion of a Hilti ® fastener 42. The accessory 44 is formed from anysuitable resiliently deformable material.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, reference numeral 110 generallydepicts a fourth embodiment of a device for aiding the mounting of anobject such as a picture (not shown) on a wall (not shown) in accordancewith the invention.

The device 110 includes a body 112 having an elongate member 114 whichis configured to extend outwardly therefrom, a locating means in theform of a sleeve 116 which defines a generally parallelipipedal opening118 for receiving the elongate member 114 complementally therethroughand to allow displacement of the sleeve 116 along a substantiallyportion of the length of the elongate member. A mounting formation inthe form hook 120 is configured to extend outwardly the sleeve 116. Aretaining means in the form of a rack-and-ratchet or gear-and-ratchetassembly 122 is provided for retaining the sleeve 116 and hook 120 in adesired position on the elongate member 114.

An aperture 124 is defined in the body 112 for receiving any suitableattachment means such as a nail, screw or wall plug therethrough forattaching the device 110 to the wall.

The elongate member 114 is formed integrally the body 112. The body 112is thicker than the elongate member 114 so that in an operative mountedcondition of the device, the elongate member 114 is spaced from thewall.

The hook 120 is shaped for holding a tie member of an object to bemounted captive therein in an operative hanging condition of the objectto be mounted.

A gear or rack 126 of the rack-and-ratchet or gear-and-ratchet assembly122 is arranged to extend longitudinally the elongated member. The gearor rack 126 is formed by plurality of generally wedge or saw toothshaped recesses 128 which are defined in the elongate member 114substantially along its length. A generally wedge shaped ratchet 130 ofthe rack-and-ratchet or gear-and-ratchet assembly 122 is arranged toextend or depend inwardly from an inner wall defining the opening 118.The ratchet 130 is biased to extend inwardly the wall of the opening 118towards the gear or rack 126. The ratchet 130 and gear 126 are formedfrom any suitable resiliently deformable material to facilitatecomplementary interengagement therebetween.

The recesses 128 and ratchet 130 are orientated and/or inclined tofacilitate displacement of the ratchet 130, and with it the hook 120,from a free end of the elongated member 114 towards the body 112, and toinhibit displacement in the opposite direction. The recesses 128 aretypically spaced in 1 mm increments to facilitate adjustment and/oralignment of the picture according to a user's requirements.

The applicant believes that a device in accordance with the invention isadvantageous in that it provides a cost effective and simplifiedalternative to adjustable picture hangers presently available on themarket.

It is to be appreciated that a device as hereinbefore described is notlimited to the precise constructional details as set out hereinabove andwhich may be varied as desired.

1. A device for aiding the mounting of an object on a wall, which deviceincludes: a body shaped and configured to be held in abutment with awall on which the object is to be mounted; an elongate member which isconfigured to extend outwardly from the body; a locating means in theform of a sleeve which defines an opening for receiving the elongatemember complementally therethrough and to allow displacement of thelocating means along a substantially portion of the length of theelongate member; a mounting formation which is configured to extendoutwardly the locating means, the mounting formation being configured topermit an object to be mounted on the wall to be mounted thereon; and aretaining means for retaining the locating means in a desired positionon the elongate member, the retaining means comprising complementarymale-and-female mating formations which are arranged on the elongatemember and opening of the locating means.
 2. A device as claimed inclaim 1 wherein an aperture is defined in the body for receiving anysuitable attachment means therethrough for attaching the device to thewall.
 3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleeve defines agenerally parallelipipedal opening or passageway.
 4. A device as claimedin claim 1 wherein the elongate member is formed integrally the body. 5.A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the body is thicker than theelongate member so that in an operative mounted condition of the device,the elongate member is able to be spaced from the wall.
 6. A device asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the mounting formation is generallyhook-shaped for holding a mounting member of an object to be mountedcaptive therein in an operative hanging condition of the object to bemounted.
 7. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the complementarymale-and-female mating formations are in the form of a rack-and-ratchetassembly.
 8. A device as claimed in claim 7 wherein a rack of therack-and-ratchet assembly is arranged to extend longitudinally theelongated number.
 9. A device as claimed in claim 7 wherein a ratchet ofthe rack-and-ratchet is generally wedge shaped and which is biased toextend inwardly an inner wall of the sleeve.
 10. A device as claimed inclaim 6 wherein a rack is orientated to facilitate displacement of theratchet from a free end of the elongated member towards the body, and toinhibit displacement of the ratchet, and with it the sleeve, in theopposite direction.
 11. A device for aiding the mounting of an object ona wall, which device includes: a body shaped and configured to be heldin abutment with a wall on which the object is to be mounted; anelongate member having a mounting formation arranged at one end thereofon which the object is to be mounted in use; a receiving means in theform of a sleeve arranged on the body, the receiving means defining anopening or passageway for receiving the elongate member complementallytherethrough and to allow displacement of the of the elongate membersubstantially along its length relative to the body; and a retainingmeans for retaining the elongate member and with it the mountingformation in a desired position relative to the body, the retainingmeans comprising complementary male-and-female mating formations whichare arranged on the elongate member and opening of the receiving means.12. A device as claimed in claim 11 wherein an aperture is defined inthe body for receiving any suitable attachment means there through forattaching the device to the wall.
 13. A device as claimed in claim 12wherein the sleeve defines a generally parallelipipedal opening orpassageway.
 14. A device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the mountingformation is generally hook shaped for holding a tie member of an objectto be mounted captive therein in an operative hanging condition of theobject to be mounted.
 15. A device as claimed in claim 11 wherein thecomplementary male-and-female mating formations are in the form of arack-and-ratchet or gear-and-ratchet assembly.
 16. A device as claimedin claim 15 wherein a rack of the rack-and-ratchet assembly is arrangedto extend longitudinally the elongate member.
 17. A device as claimed inclaim 16 wherein a ratchet of the rack-and-ratchet is generally wedgeshaped and which is biased to extend inwardly an inner a wall of thesleeve.
 18. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the recesses areorientated to facilitate displacement of the ratchet from a free end ofthe elongate member towards the body, and to inhibit displacement of theratchet, and with it the sleeve, in the opposite direction.
 19. A deviceas claimed in claim 11 wherein any one or more of the parts and/orcomponents of the device are formed in any suitable synthetic plasticsmaterial.
 20. A device for aiding the mounting of an object on a wall,which device includes: a body shaped and configured to be held inabutment with a wall on which the object is to be mounted; an elongatemember which is configured to extend outwardly from the body; a locatingmeans which defines an opening for receiving the elongate membercomplementally therethrough and to allow displacement of the locatingmeans along a substantially portion of the length of the elongatemember; a mounting formation which is configured to extend outwardly thelocating means, the mounting formation being configured to permit anobject to be mounted on the wall to be mounted thereon; and a retainingmeans for retaining the locating means in a desired position on theelongate member, the retaining means comprising complementarymale-and-female mating formations which are arranged on the elongatemember and opening of the locating means.